#//nothing like it has happened in canon but there’s also nothing in canon disproving it. so.

[brightest-colors-forever]

Bad Apple is a music video that people like to try to reanimate in various places! You have access to the internet, right? You should be able to look it up :)

[a video of Kinkajou’s wing. The first 15 seconds of Bad Apple appear to be animated on it.]

Wow! I’ve never considered doing something like that!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Do you think Snape stopped being a bigot by the time canon rolled around or do you think he still thought of muggleborns as inferior but didn't act on it cause he was always around Dumbledore?

We know his love for Lily won't change anything, Lily herself points out how Snape's completely fine with calling every muggleborn but her a "mudblood" and even participated in bullying them. He sees Lily as an exception so there's no guarantee that even her death would change his views on the rest.

He probably never outright voices it because he's tied himself to Dumbledore, but that doesn't mean he can't still hold those bigoted views deep down.

His treatment and bullying of Hermione doesn't make him look good either. Yes, she's an overzealous know-it-all who annoyed Snape, but I wonder if that was simply it or if his bullying of her was motivated by blood prejudice as well.

As far as I remember, there's nothing in canon that proves Snape is still a bigot, but there's nothing that disproves it either. Thoughts?

Honestly we aren't really told anything about his opinions about muggleborns and muggles during the books. If I had to guess, I'd say his opinions didn't change much. Lily was always an exception, so I don't think her death would change his opinion on muggleborns as a whole.

We see this outlook with Slughorn too:

“Your mother was Muggle-born, of course. Couldn’t believe it when I found out. Thought she must have been pure-blood, she was so good.” “One of my best friends is Muggle-born,” said Harry, “and she’s the best in our year.” “Funny how that sometimes happens, isn’t it?” said Slughorn. “Not really,” said Harry coldly.

(HBP, 70)

He knows some muggleborns are brilliant and talented (like Lily and Hermione) but he considers them exceptions, not the common muggleborn. The perfect special muggleborn. The talented ones he cares about.

I think Snape is a little similar, if for completely different reasons. Slughorn looks down on muggleborns because of how unfamiliar with the muggle world he is. He's a pure-blood who was raised to think muggleborns have lower chances of being talented and exceptional.

Snape, on the other hand, has something very different going on in his head. I think he also has this tendency to look down on muggleborns, and he always had, but not for the same reason as Slughorn. In Snape's case, it comes from his hatred of muggles. Snape hates his father and the circumstances of his upbringing. He probably holds some resentment towards his mother for staying and raising him in a poor and abusive environment. And, it's not like Snape's mother was overly involved in his life either, he was allowed to just run around the streets alone since he was seven (or younger) and that was pretty much it.

Snape associated the muggle world with pain, humiliation, and neglect. And while the Wizarding World wasn't free of pain and humiliation, it was better. The Wizarding World came with magic, the ability to at least have a chance to defend himself, a chance at belonging (we Lucius except Snape into Slytherin easily when he arrives), and pride. Snape is an incredibly talented wizard and he knows it, and takes great pride in it.

So the wizard side of things was always the better one for him. The one he preferred to associate himself with (calling himself the "Half-Blood Prince" is an example of that). And I think his outlook on muggles and muggleborns is still somewhat colored by this even as an adult.

I think it did tone down since his youth, I don't think he's as extreme as he was when he joined the Death Eaters as a teenager, but I think he's still prejudiced against muggles and muggleborns (more muggles than muggleborns though), at least to a degree. I mean, these sorts of outlooks don't just change overnight. So, while I think Snape isn't advocating for muggleborns registration anymore, he still looks down on them and expects less of them, like, a subtler sort of prejudice.

I think Snape's bullying of Hermione is mostly for her know-it-all attitude, being friends with Harry, and being a Gryffindor (a whole different prejudice). But I think there is a little muggleborn prejudice in there too. I don't think it's the main issue he takes with her, but, like I said, it's unlikely he just completely got over it.

And, we see that looking down on muggles and muggleborns is pretty common in the wizarding world as I mentioned with Slughorn and while Dumbledore wouldn't be happy if Snape called muggleborns "mudbloods" he himself is just as prejudiced against muggles. He looks down on them like all of the wizarding world does, in subtler ways than the Death Eaters. So Snape probably wouldn't make an active effort to change his opinions. Even the Weasleys look down on muggles:

“Are they doctors?” he asked Ron quietly. “Doctors?” said Ron, looking startled. “Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they’re Healers.”

(OotP, 484)

“Are all your family wizards?” asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him. “Er — Yes, I think so,” said Ron. “I think Mom’s got a second cousin who’s an accountant, but we never talk about him.”

(PS, 73)

All wizards, even the more muggle-accepting ones are pretty prejudiced, it's that ingrained into their culture. So much so that Hermione stopped talking about her parents even to her friends, the Weasleys' squib cousin is never mentioned, and confounding or obliviating muggles is considered harmless even though we saw it can cause harm even to wizards (Lockheart). The wizarding world is a very prejudiced place even if you don't go around shouting slures. So I think Snape still holds this baseline level of looking down on muggles and muggleborns their whole world seems to practice, but he isn't advocating for their registration and death anymore either.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Superhero fans for years have been saying that Dick Grayson 'has a thing for redheads' because his two main canon love interests are redhead women and his most popular mlm ship is from one of the worst DC adaptions ever with a guy who also happens to be ginger but Princess Koriand'r is a black woman,Babara Gordon has multiple black adaptions and his other gfs have been Bea Bennett who is black too and Helena Bertinelli specifically when she got rebooted to be black/white mixed and Tim Drake is said to canonically have a type in blondes because he's canon bi now thanks to Bernard Dowd but in his second solo he was dating a black girl named Tam Fox and way back in his first run his first crush Ariana Dzerchenko dyed her hair blonde because she thought that's why he liked Stephanie Brown and Tim straight up made a very strained fake smile while thinking 'I hate it' and the fandom made a whole meme fanart trend of Kon-El Kent being upset and wishing he was blonde so Tim would've chosen him instead since he was previously considered Tim's canon boyfriend by fans.But when black people headcanon Hobie Brown as stritcly black4black or perfers to date black women over anyone else and make jokes about how he'd never date a white person because of how black punkish he is and there's nothing to disprove either since his only love interest is his Prowler variant's Mindy Mcpherson who's a black woman and him and Gwen Stacy were left ambigious in the finale version of Atsv,we're being 'uninclusive' and 'too mean'.Lol.Lmao even.What's y'all's opinion on the Percy Jackson show deciding to let Leah Jeffries keep her natural hair instead of the blonde afro wig they considered which was a good call in a meta sense since book!Annabeth Chase hates being blonde because she wants to be seen as more than her hair color btw

[fanfic-obsessed]

Mental Break

Despite the title I think this will be a funnier one.  As a reminder, disregard anything in canon (if such a creature even exists for DC) that contradicts this.

We start with Jason Todd, the Red Hood.  He comes to Gotham having been manipulated by Talia Al Ghul to believe that Jason had been easily replaced by Tim Drake as Robin. That Bruce likely never loved him. 

We are sometime in that strange time after Red Hood delivers his bag of heads, but before anyone knew he was Jason Todd.  He had plans to attack his replacement, but wanted more intel first.  

He tracks down his replacement and douses him with something aerosolized that would induce truthfulness for a short time and asks/shouts at him to find out why Tim took the mantle of Robin.  Tim answers with something to the effect of ‘It was the only option’. Now what Tim means is Gotham needs Batman, and Batman needs Robin, and nobody else was stepping up.  What Red Hood heard was that Bruce was forcing this child to be Robin, that there was some kind of hostage situation going on (Much later, whenever this story is told, Bruce gets an aggrieved, tired look and says ‘I was the hostage in this situation’). 

Somehow this twists through the Pit Madness until Jason is convinced that it was not that Bruce replaced Jason with Tim and that Bruce never loved Jason. Instead he comes to believe that Jason's death broke Bruce so badly that he believes that Tim is Jason. That Bruce kidnapped a neighborhood kid and forced him into the Robin costume so that Bruce did not have to face his son being dead.  Tim is, of course, just trying to survive what must be a terrifying and surreal experience.  It also gives Jason a good explanation why the Joker is still alive (Killing the Joker for Killing Jason means admitting Jason is dead).  Jason manages to hack into the bat computer and get some, but not all, of the videos of Tim’s training and nothing that he got dissuades this belief.  Particularly since many of the early videos have Bruce drunk, calling Tim Jason, and being unnecessarily rough (Some of which was deliberate to try to get Tim to quit).  He also manages to miss any evidence that Alfred knew anything about Tim being Robin, so he thinks that Alfred, in his own grief, is missing the whole ass child that Bruce has apparently kidnapped. 

So now instead of planning a confrontation between Batman and the Joker he is considering the implications of Bruce finding out Jason’s identity. He is asking himself if it would break Bruce further, if Bruce would hurt Tim for ‘pretending’ to be Robin/Jason, if Bruce would even believe Jason. 

To the confusion of all the Bats, Red Hood’s entire personality abruptly seemed to shift. He was still a crime lord, still killing. However, before he had clearly hated the Bats, now anytime he crossed paths with either Batman or Robin he asked strange, aggressive yet concerned questions about their well being and mental health. 

Even more hilariously, Red Hood goes to Nightwing and (after proving that he really was Jason Todd) convinces Dick of this belief.  Dick thinks back to his own first interaction with Tim, where Tim was trying to convince him to come back, and comes to the, entirely incorrect, conclusion that this actually supported Jason's theory. Dick reframes the conversation in his head until it seems as though Tim was asking for Dick to rescue him instead of what was actually happening. He is also only rarely in Gotham so cannot think of a single instance that disproves Jason’s theory. 

What happens next can only be described as Shenanigans. 

Batman, and Robin are trying to figure out why Nightwing is suddenly working with the Crime Lord Red Hood. Also why Batman calling Tim Robin in the field makes him flinch. He keeps refusing to come back to the Cave or the Manor (because Dick is sure he will spill the beans about Jason and is afraid that will break Bruce further) and is possibly trying to lure Robin away. In addition Nightwing keeps asking really weird questions about where Tim is sleeping and how he is getting food and is he going to school.

Nightwing and Red Hood are trying to figure out (subtly, a term which neither actually have any grasp on) how deep Bruce's delusions go, how much Tim understands about what is going on, and how to get Tim away from Bruce long enough to get them all some help. Plus trying to find a therapist specifically for Tim (whom they assume is going to be deeply traumatized out of all this). 

Just all around Shenanigans.

[ladysarai]

@inception30daychallenge day 1: my favorite thing about the movie

I think my FAVORITE thing about Inception is how MUCH there is to it, as a movie. You can watch it a zillion times and get something new from it every time, and you can read one person's take and be impressed and amazed because you didn't even think of that take!

But what REALLY makes me sit up and pay attention to a piece of media is Characters, and Relationships. I love how MUCH the cast did with so very little... I want to know EVERYTHING about Arthur's relationships with Mal and Dom, (okay, ESPECIALLY Mal) just because of the way he calls Mal "lovely" and because of the way he PUTS UP with Dom and follows him around and has obviously been loyal through So Much Shit and then the way he SMILES in the end. Cobb himself is a hot mess, and given only the context of the movie, you have to wonder why anyone would put up with the things he puts Arthur through, so there has to be a history there, right?? And OF COURSE I'm here for Arthur and Eames and their shared history, whatever that may be (they're married okay). The fact that in the paper script, Arthur and Eames could have been played so differently by two other actors is... It's a little awe inspiring, and just makes you really appreciate what actors can bring to their roles.

I love that every single time I watch it, there is something new to notice, some new nuance to pick up on, a new piece of canon that can be used to spin out headcanon or fic from. And I absolutely ADORE that so much is open-ended and there's no real WRONG interpretation; I think that's what's given the fandom such lasting power over the years. We're give so little actual canon that very little fanon is actually contradicted. It's kind of beautiful that way.

On a personal note... When I say that I'm new to the Inception fandom, I mean BRAND NEW... like as of April of this year new. Which is not to say I didn't see the movie when it came out in 2010, because I did! I watched it more than once! But here's the thing... You ever have those experiences where OTHER PEOPLE ruin a thing for you before you give it a chance yourself?

That's what happened with me and Inception. I thought "hey, fun movie" and left it at that. Largely because my younger brother was in this weird "I'm a Movie Connoisseur/Expert and My Opinion is the One That Counts" stage and as someone with self-proclaimed "man crush" on Leo, he was All About Cobb, who is easily my LEAST favorite character. He was also All About arguing for the "it's all a dream" theory over the ending, which I think beautifully demonstrates the main difference between us: I am an optimist and prefer happy endings. So he would Not Shut Up about this movie and how GROUNDBREAKING it was and how the pessimistic viewing of the ending was the Only True Way to watch the movie. (May I say how much I fucking love that this has generally been disproved in the last 14 years? Because I have serious Schadenfreude over that.)

(I was also RPing in a panfandom LJ game at the time with people who were obsessed with playing characters played by Certain Actors and our game wound up with an Arthur and an Ariadne and I think they shipped them but it was full of ~drama~ and I wanted nothing to do with it so I kept my Barbies on my corner of the game and avoided theirs.)

ANYWAY, this is a very convoluted and long-winded way to get to my point. Which is that I largely forgot about Inception for the last 13 years-ish. Then I was rereading some old fanfics in March and because I liked an author, I went to see what other fandoms they'd written for. And somehow I fell into Inception and discovered Arthur/Eames, and HOW THE FUCK DID I MISS THAT????? After a few weeks of reading fic, I decided to watch the movie again and, well. Then I was watching it every other day for several weeks.

Moderation? What's that?

So another favorite thing about this movie is that I got back into fandom for the first time in... god. Almost ten years???? Because of it. Which is a little miraculous by itself.

[giantchasm]

Dazor: Hello Peony. I’d ask about your ghosts and powers, but it seems that’s already been covered. Could you say more how you feel on Nick and Rhiainfellt? Understandable if that’s too much, otherwise more about any of your parents’ friends?

...But it's okay! I have Glock. And you know what I think? You only need one good friend to truly be happy. And I've got more friends than that, anyways! They're just not my age. I know I should probably try to be nicer to Rhiainfellt. I can only imagine she feels really alone. A long, long time ago— like way before me or even my parents were born, there was this mass exodus of people who used magic from intergalactic society. Among these people, the Jambandrans especially suffered. Most of them... uh, didn't make the journey, and even fewer have survived to modern day. Rhiainfellt's the only Jambandran I've ever met. And I imagine that has to be pretty lonely. Not knowing anyone who looks like you. Not knowing your history or culture or where you came from. It also doesn't help that she can't use magic— just another thing that makes her stick out like a sore thumb amidst her family. And with all of that in mind, I wish I could like her, but... I dunno. She's depressing. She's really resentful, and I think she should give her mom more credit sometimes. I don't think she feels the way Rhiainfellt thinks she feels about her at all. Then as for Nick... kind of self explanatory, yeah? Just about any person associated with the Mirror World is nothing but trouble... and people allied with Dark Mind especially. I don't care if Nick's dads think Dark Meta Knight is nice. He's a monster! And the less time I spend around him the better. Sorry, Nick. Both that I can't hang out and that you have to be subjected to that buffoon. It's not your fault your parents have bad taste.

...Oh my gosh! What a colorful cast.

This is another ask that only ended up being so much about Peony and more about the world she lives in and the people surrounding her, but it was still fun to answer. I like and have thoughts on all of my fankids, even if she's the favorite.

I think I may be the only person out there who ships Daroach/Rick. To my credit, it started as a joke. But then I got... invested somehow? In my Kirbyverse they grew up together, were partners in crime for a bit, then had a messy breakup after Rick turned over a new leaf and Daroach didn't. And now they've made amends!

Pick is here too, of course, because there is NOTHING I cannot stand more than when people remove a canonical female love interest from the equation to ship her more popular partner with a guy. Not that Rick is a popular character or that it happens to him. But it's about the PRINCIPLE of the thing, y'know? And Rick has two hands.

Also, yes, before anyone gets on my case for it: DMK was involved with The Sectonia Incident in my interpretation of the Kirby universe. I think people can get... really weird about people writing the character that way sometimes?

There's this pretty aggravating trend I've noticed in the fandom where something that is not canon will get misconstrued as Objectively Canon (I.E DMK being involved with that, Void Kirby theory, ETC), then people who are annoyed with this misinfo will go around saying canon actually Objectively Disproved that thing. Which... it did not do, either. Canon makes no comment on these situations. There is no "correct" interpretation. Just let people have fun, man.

So, yeah! I think DMK deserves to be a little bit of a dick. As a treat. I think portraying him as not the instigator of that incident, but rather a loyal servant who helped Dark Mind get away with all of that makes him an interesting parallel to Taranza himself. I like writing it that way, so it's canon to my Kirbyverse and by extension the world Peony lives in.

Which is all to say Peony's not a fan of him. Even though, as usual, she's sort of simplifying the situation. DMK is not a wonderful person, but he's no bogeyman, either.

Rhiainfellt is interesting. I originally came up with her based on the simple idea of "Awww... wouldn't it be cute if one of the Mage Sisters adopted a Jambandran like Hyness adopted them all those years ago?" But the more I've fleshed her out the more... weird and messed up she's become. I think she has an American Psycho monologue going on in her head at all times.

A troubled kid for sure. You know it's bad when even the girl who talks to dead people thinks someone's a little too much. Ohhhhh, poor thing. 😔

To be clear she doesn't have another parent or anything, by the way. All hail Zan Partizanne's single mom swag.

@kirbyoctournament

[mattzerella-sticks]

"You can live a normal life. Fall in love."

I think this scant piece of ranting says a LOT about how Bruce sees Batman. It's not just a duty. It's a curse. Your blessings are also your damnations. Bruce thinks that you cannot fall in love while you are a vigilante (despite COUNTLESS EVIDENCE THAT DISPROVES THIS - Dick and Babs, Clark and Lois, Ollie and Dinah, etc.)

But Bruce has a very myopic viewpoint that leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy. He hasn't had success in romance as Batman. It's Batman's fault. He can't give up Batman. Ergo, he cannot 'find love' in the nuclear family, heteronormative sense because of Batman.

Let's look at the three 'greatest loves' of Batman's life according to his and Ghostmaker's trip into his psyche.

Selina Kyle. Talia al Ghul. Poison Ivy.

I'll work backwards. Ivy is a placeholder because she was never really his. She never loved him, and his love for her was chemically induced. But he has her there, why? Maybe to say that it doesn't work out because she chose someone else.

Talia. The mother of his child who is also the Demon's Head. It would never work because of his strict code against killing and her ambivalence towards it. Ironically, they have the healthiest relationship imo that probably was born from necessary co-parenting. While they don't care for what the other does, they respect and care for each other and have deep history. He thinks if he can't make it work with the mother of his kid, who can he make it work with?

Selina Kyle. Probably the closest (at this point in canon) Bruce has ever come to having a relationship that works. But every time it looks like it'll be a sure hit, something gums up the works. Most of the time, it's each other as there are key aspects of their identity that neither are willing to compromise for. And usually, when there is a compromise, it's usually on Selina's part whereas Bruce can continue being Batman. That puts a huge power imbalance in the relationship. It doesn't work out because Selina will always be drawn back to crime, and Batman will have to stop her. Bruce supposes that's what you get for falling for a criminal.

In all three, Bruce creates logical reasons why Batman is incapable of having a relationship and uses that to justify why he cannot have romance in his life. Why having this duty is a curse. Why he is showing love by getting his kids 'out' of the life, through whatever means necessary.

However, with Selina taking a chunk out of crime through a grey method, she is pulling at a foundational aspect of his personality - I'd argue the safety net Bruce created for himself when he was that boy in the alley - and, in turn, making the Batman/Zur persona go nuts. Zur sees her methods not a way to help Gotham but as an attack on him since, if this can save Gotham what is the point of Batman? What was the point of Bruce's vow? What was it all for?

Zur is giving Bruce a reason to keep going, to keep putting on the mask, so he doesn't have to confront what's under the mask when there's no crime to fight. To deal with his personal life and relationships and mhi that need to be dealt with.

And Selina and the Batfamily are right, this shouldn't have turned into a war. They shouldn't be fighting. This is an unforseen side effect of them fulfilling Bruce's wish which is to make Gotham safe when, in reality, maybe thats not what Batman wants because what safe Gotham would need Batman?

Almost like when in Infinite Crisis, Superman of earth one asks his earth two counterpart: "if your earth was perfect, why did it need a superman?"

A safe Gotham doesn't need a Batman and, after all the stress and trauma Bruce has suffered since he put on that cowl, he is not ready to hang it up. It is his burden and his joy. As much as he grouses about the crime and how much work it is to keep Gotham 'clean' he hates sitting on his hands with nothing to do.

Ironically, Batman of Zur En Arrh reminds me of what happened to Robin in Teen Titans Go! in 'Uncle Jokes' when Starfire started acting like Cyborg and Beast Boy, breaking the natural order of how he saw the world and making him go cuckoo. The same thing is happening to Bruce.

He needs to realize that he can still be Batman but he can also not be in control. That Bruce is the one stopping him from finding 'love' in a traditional sense, not Batman. That he has love and a family and he does not need to keep pushing everyone away because he thinks it's better for them and he knows best.

Batman is Gotham's greatest hero, Bruce Wayne's love, but he's also Bruce's greatest rogue. Duality.

[theluminoussunflower]

very random question incoming but since you know a lot about dps maybe you can finally help me find peace. it doesn't hurt to ask right..? (this turned out longer than anticipated sorry about that..)

do you have any clue how people pinpoint the exact birthdays (in neils case also death day) of dead poets society characters? i know they're in the wiki but like.. where did we get them? am i an idot? do they talk about that somewhere? in the script maybe? is it just a very popular headcanon that everyone decided is real?

people claim december 15th is the day Neil died. i looked at the document todd has to sign looking for a date and i can see 12-5-59 at the bottom right. that means december 5th is the day everyone had to sign, right?

that would make neils death day maybe (!) the 4th. which could make sense because that day was a friday (the play wouldnt be on a weekday right? december 15th 1959 was a tuesday..)

but then again they are most likely signing a week or so after neil died, which would put his death day in late november??

where does december 15th come from? is there some random interview? is it really really obvious? is it all fake? please help an idiot out..!

thank you so much and have a nice day 💛

hello anon! hopefully i can provide a bit of clarity.

in terms of birthdays, they're all made up. the only birthday we're vaguely made aware of is todd's but we're not given an exact day. it's about mid-way through the movie, so i personally place it at the beginning of november, which is about halfway between the start and end of an autumn semester in the states. (i go with november third since that's ethan hawke's birthday, but to each their own).

the wiki isn't really the right place to look for like actual information about the movie because people just make shit up on it all the time. kind of annoying if you're actually trying to find out canon, but it's fandom wiki so we can't really stop it lol i personally disagree with most of the birthdays provided on the wiki (someone on there thinks pitts is a taurus when he's CLEARLY a capricorn /lh)

in terms of neil's death day, december fifteenth comes from neil's dad's calendar on his desk in the scene before his suicide. it's reeeaaallly grainy so it could be anything, but it looks like a teen number, and there aren't that many pages left on it. i had never seen the 12-5-59 date on the contract until this ask, so that definitely puts a hole in the december fifteenth thing, and i agree that a tuesday is a weird day to have the opening night of a play on. so it's two contradicting props.

but i think the suicide happening with snowfall and just before finals puts it more towards mid-december, though you could be right about it being more around thanksgiving (vermont gets snow starting in november)

to my knowledge that is the extent of the december fifteenth stuff. if there's any more, someone can reblog and add, but in short, it's basically fanon looking really deeply into props lol there's no interview, it's not in the script, it's really not that deep. if you think his suicide was late november, there's nothing that concrete to disprove it.

let me know what birthdays you think the boys have, because i basically just give them their actors birthdays lol

anyway happy neil dies day <3

[wildissylupus]

Here's another rant for you, Kiriko isn't a poorly written character or contradictory or unnecessary, people just generally don't understand the meaning of her lore.

The Age Gap

First thing I want to address is the age thing, more specifically people saying that it doesn't make sense that Kiriko and Genji could be close with Genji being 35 and Kiriko being in her early 20s.

As someone who has their dynamic with my cousins who I have the same kind of age gap, I (obviously) find this incorrect.

I've seen people act as though Genji took her to parties and stuff, but realistically, they most likely only interacted while Genji was at the Shimada house or while training. Also its been shown that both Genji and Kiriko didn't have personal connections outside of they're families or the clan until after the Shimada clan fell. So of course they would be close, they literally only had each other.

Not only that but as I'm writing this I'm reading the Yokai short story and on the first page it is shown that the Shimada brothers obviously treated her like a younger cousin/sibling.

That and her young age is actually a big part of her story, growing up being a main theme in her cinematic, and her age actually influencing a lot of her views. Which I will get into later.

Her Personality

I've seen people say that Kiriko's personality in game contradicts what we were shown in her cinematic. The thing people forget is that the ideviduals she interacts with are people she is close to, her mum and her neighbours which she either learned sign language for or she was just generally close to.

This is important to recognise because she doesn't know most of the cast of Overwatch. So of course she's not going to treat them the same way that she treats people she considers family.

Not only that but Overwatch specially did nothing to help with the power vacuum they created. They are literally the reason the Hashimoto have so much control now, of course she's not going to be overtly nice to its members.

Not only that but the three members of Yokai that we know are stated to be younger then Kiriko, teenagers. She's leader and she needs to act like it because if she doesn't, kids could die.

I think this is most shown in her interaction with Ana;

Ana: You remind me of myself when I was younger.

Kiriko: That a compliment?

Ana: You be the judge.

Kiriko: Okay, thanks for the compliment.

Her Interactions and Relationships

"I won't say the Shimada were perfect, especially at the end..." - Kiriko, Yokai short story

I've seen people say that Kiriko defends the Shimada clan while also being "too hostile" towards Hanzo. The line above disproves the first claim, Kiriko just sees the Shimadas as the lesser evil of the "Shimada vs Hashimoto". Not only that but the whole being "too hostile" with Hanzo thing can be justified by one thing, canonically Kiriko doesn't know the finer details on what happened to Genji.

The most she could know is that Hanzo killed Genji, that's it. And we don't even know if she knows that, all she could know would be that Genji is dead and Hanzo skipped town.

Not only that but because she doesn't know the finer details she most likely believes that Hanzo abandoned her family and Kanesaka, either for no reason or he abandoned the post he killed his own brother for.

I hate how people act like everyone would be fine with Hanzo, like, Kiriko has a right to be mad at him and be openly hostile.

As for her other interactions I do think that some are brought down by poor line delivery, that's it.

But as I mentioned before, Kiriko has no reason to be nice to an organisation who didn't help fix a problem they caused.

Her Role in the Story

I believe Kiriko was introduced in order to cause conflict in the Shimada storyline, because I'm tired of people believing that Hanzo's redemption would be an easy road. Realistically Kiriko, Angela and Cassidy, along with other Overwatch agents, would at the very least not trust him and at most despise him.

Just because Genji has forgiven Hanzo doesn't mean his actions still didn't have consequences and I think Kiriko will be an example of that.

I also think that she will be a driving point for both Ana and Cassidy's opinion that sometimes Overwatch did more harm then good.

Essentially I think her character is going to be a driving point for other characters until she gets her own arc, maybe in a mini/separate story campaign.

(I honestly love the idea of her getting an anime)

Her Voice (this is more of a theory/headcannon)

Personally I think her having an American accent is a result of her having to go into hiding after the Shimada clan fell. I believe she had to learn how to do an American accent so the Hashimoto wouldn't hurt her. Because they didn't really seem to know Kiriko in the cinematic and her having an American accent would throw people off of gaining the suspicion she was related to the Shimadas or her mother in any way.

It a reasonable assumption considering the Hashimoto literally kidnapped her dad and is forcing her mum to work for them.

[orangepanic]

I adore Asami, she is perfect! Beautiful, intelligent, reliable, hardworking, and more giving to her friends than they deserve (not always, but I am still mad at how she was treated in season 1)

Iroh is also perfect, but not as much Asami, you know, he had never got to act against his father, never been put to that situation (and I think he would have choose to do the right thing, as Asami did)

Sometime I think, what if Asami wasn’t that perfect for being around Korra‘s team? Like what if she had a problem that didn’t let her to be physically strong? And be involved that much in team avatar, like if she had a chronic pain in her leg? What if her other strength would have attracted more attention? Like her resilience? More feminine kindof strength (I think Pema has it and is really underrated in the comics)

What if Iroh would have fallen in love with her (or had been attracted to her) because of her more feminine side?

I sometimes get the feeling if a character is not a badass in combat, their other strengths are not taken seriously…

By feminine strength I don’t mean things like self sacrifice or anything that might get unhealthy, I mean things like nurturing spirit, in this category 😁 I hope my babbling is not very unclear😁😁

This is super sweet. I love Asami very much, too. It's also the reason one of my favorite things to give her are flaws.

Asami (like many female characters) is often accused of being a flat "Mary Sue" who is good at everything and seemingly perfect. She's rich, intelligent, gorgeous, courageous, caring, giving, brave, forgiving. She's a skilled fighter and fashionable and can build a sand sailer with spit and duct tape. Literally nothing wrong with her. Which has the danger of making her uninteresting or only useful as a love interest - which is often what the fandom does. She's been reduced to the "and girlfriend" role and I hate that for her. It's one of the big reasons I don't like Asami's canon ships.

But like you said, there is so much we don't know that could be going on beneath the surface. We don't even have to change canon for that. Asami is squeamish - she's the only one who spits out Gommu's soup. She's got a bit of a temper. She doesn't seem to have friends or family as shown by her going out of her way to make friends with Team Avatar even after what happened with Mako and Korra because she's got no one else. How lonely and isolated must her upbringing have been? Then there's everything canon can't disprove. It's likely Asami is inexperienced in both relationships and sex. I write her as disorganized and a terrible cook. She has a ton of baggage from her mother's death and her father's betrayal and even Mako that carries into her future relationships. She loves pro-bending but isn't a bender and that's always hurt just a little. It's just as possible she has chronic pain she doesn't show.

Because Asami comes through for everyone. Want my boyfriend? Okay. Need a ride? Sure. An airship? Here you are. Kidnapped? I got you. Trapped in the desert? No problem. Training dummy? Wheelchair pusher? Driving instructor? Your team is out of money? Wanna live in my house? Asami is so desperate to be included and the only thing she can think to do is give, give, give. I like to think at some point she just stands in the shower and screams. And I don't think if Asami was worse at fighting that would change. She'd find a way to help because that's what she does.

Anyway, I actually think General Iroh does fall in love with her because of these softer qualities. Yes, Asami is beautiful, but what Iroh wants more than anything is an equal who will love him for who he is and not for his title or wealth or family name. And he's looking for that inner strength Asami has. In longer stories like AWOL or Severance or Starvation Paradise it's always Asami's resilience, her treatment of him as an equal partner, and her tender care that make Iroh truly fall in love. She's someone he can rely on, not to give give give, but to be his other half no matter what.

Which is why this is the best ship. :-D

[keef-a-corn]

Dat’s right, People, it’s time for ‘Keef watches TFP and you just get the notes!’

This is for season 1, episode 22: Stronger, Faster

Please reblog or comment on this with your thoughts! I really want to know what your opinion of the episode was!

I write down the timestamps, but I watch Transformers Prime on Stan (an Australian streaming service) so they may be slightly off.

ALSO! I try my best to note points for every character, but tend to get a little caught up by Bee (although I think I do a pretty good job with the notes regardless) so do be warned.

~~~~Transition~~~~

00:03 - Said no one to a transformers fan ever.

00:15 - I don’t know what happened to Ratchet’s lip-sync.

00:26 - *throws to the Ratchet fans* FEAST!

00:33 - Raf’s a smart character, wouldn’t he know that Ratchet needs to test it a few times to make sure it’s stable? …Or does Raf want to put Bee’s life at risk?. O-Ó

00:58 - I get the other shots, but why the Cliffjumper one? His death didn’t have a negative effect on the energon supply.

01:41 - It’s like listening to your parents discussing the taxes.

01:59 - aww.. baby no! I wanna put him in a blanket.

02:08 - could you imagine being a parent in the early 2010s, thinking your child’s just watching an innocent show, then walking in and watching this scene? The episode is honest to goodness about drug addiction and there’s nothing anyone can say that would disprove it.

02:19 - Imagine if that had actually killed him? Like everyone returning after a mission to find Ratchet dead on the floor.

~intro~

03:12 - an amusing sight

03:24 - Ratchet’s first move to check if he was better than fine was to rotate his arm/check his shoulder. For anyone who theorises hidden, long-term injuries on the bots, there’s one for ya.

03:28 - I’m sad that his energon was so low… but which one belongs to the others? A possible consideration would be that Optimus is the bottom, then Bulkhead’s above Ratchet, then Arcee, then Bee, from their frame sizes and such. Where Bulkhead and Optimus use up more energon due to their larger sizes.

03:56 - that’s so strategically cruel.

04:49 - Oh Damn.. Optimus ain’t playing around (obviously) but he doesn’t use that tone at any other point. It’s so… uncharacteristically in character of that makes sense.

05:08 - way too high risk. Slim odds of reward. Arcee has a bad habit on taking on too much during fieldwork. It’s incredible how she hasn’t been held back more often.

05:53 - Mm.. there’s not enough appreciation for the way vehicon’s prepare to land.

06:10 - why would he put the ground bridge up there?? HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GET BACK? + could you just imagine Bee, Bulk and Optimus waiting behind the rocks, trying to make small talk.

06:18 - Slay Ratchet. Damn.

06:50 - so that idea from before… still imagine that. Just because it doesn’t work in canon, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be pictured.

07:16 - now I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t say that the fact that they included this shot could’ve meant something important, especially how the camera lingered on Bee for a second before the zoom (he’s the focus point in the shot. He’s the least blurry in the zoom). This will not be the last comment I make that’s probably me just thinking too hard.

07:22 - the side eye.

07:23 - That sounds familiar..

HA CALLBACK.

07:32 - *cri* He looks so proud. Good.

07:36 - Oh n o ✨ he’s now become aware of the size difference in a way that isn’t making him worried for the safety of the children (also Ratchet’s canonically called Raf ‘little fella’ I will now abuse this fact.)

07:46 - ‘no secret’ then proceeds to reveal that he’s on drugs.

07:48 - you can see the shift in the other bots features.

07:57 - … what. Did. He. Say?. W H Y A R E T H E R E N O H I N T S ? !

08:04 - this one’s a quick translation.. *concerned husband noises* + that slight glare though.

08:09 - Now kids remember, don’t do drugs. And if Arcee suggests it’s a good idea. It isn’t.

08:20 - Optimus probably has some history with drug addiction/abuse (might not have been him, but a friend *cough cough* Megatron)

08:26 - Damn, Optimus really on edge this episode.

08:43 - expressive story telling.

08:46 - Under influence or not, Ratchet still called Bulkhead ‘Bulk’. He must’ve done so before, but still.

08:50 - Bulkhead’s more likely to respond with a nickname if he gets addressed with a nickname.

08:51 - Ratchet just bitch-slapped Bulk. Damn.

09:16 - oh hells no. Ratchet’s fist should never be that close to Bee’s face like that. + From experience, when someone air punches so close so your face, once you recognise that you’re not actually going to be punched, you relax, but if you still believe you're in danger you're going to remain on edge. Bee keeps himself tilted away, meaning he still sees Ratchet as a threat.

09:22 - *cri*

09:25 - Bee’s eyebrows raise higher after Ratchet insults him.

09:29 - pretend he was straight? Yeah. But seriously, what an uncomfortable situation for all of them.

09:42 - that’s a dependency. It’s never a good thing.

09:52 - Arcee’s tone indicates she’s still upset, otherwise she would’ve been a bit higher pitched.

09:57 - There’s something about the way Optimus reactions (physically) when Bulkhead stops him that’s really interesting. I cannot work out what though.

10:05 - that’s how Knockout stands.

10:10 - I very seriously doubt that Ratchet chose Bumblebee to stay back as a randomised choice. If he had called him ‘Bee’, maybe, but he didn’t. He said ‘Bumblebee’. It was intentional. Considering that Ratchet’s still very strategic, despite being under influence, he would’ve been more likely to put Arcee on the sidelines (she goes against orders, makes unnecessary risks and is not as good at fighting compared to the others + the others are a bit more durable.). There are a few reasons why he might’ve chosen Bee. Although I want to say that it’s super unlikely, I cannot rule out the idea that a drugged up Ratchet could be a bit ableist, explaining why he’d first remove the disabled bot- but, as I said, highly unlikely. What’s more likely is that he’s putting Bee on the sidelines because he sees him as the weakest after he immediately backed down from a challenge. Then you also have the idea that there’s still apart of Ratchet that would put himself in the face of danger to protect Bee.

10:13 - WHAT DID HE SAY?! THE SYLLABLES RARELY MEAN ANYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO BEE’S DIALOGUE SO THERE’S NO HINTS!

11:01 - He’s an ass, but he’s got a point.

11:47 - what was gonna be the plan?

12:03 - this is a serious part, why would they include something so comedic? + he do be having a really good aim tho.

12:29 - Torture for the location of something important… the irony. (IYKYK)

12:41 - Optimus’s reaction shot is like every animal reaction to a loud noise in the distance.

12:44 - Really reflects on how often Autobots torture someone from the way everyone reacts.

12:47 - the shot would’ve been more impactful had Ratchet been kneeling, rather than leaning over.

12:57 - Nothing can stop the indestructible force that is Optimus putting his hand on someone’s arm/shoulder to make them calm down.

13:02 - Bulkhead and Arcee standing in the back watching them.

13:08 - Miner vs Minor. Both make a lot of sense before the rest of the dialogue.

13:11 - ‘servant class, not warrior class’, I need to do my research, damn. Are there classes between Servant and warrior? I imagine there’s probably ones below Servant and above warrior, so the lowest class the autobots would fight is warrior. Are the classes the same for the autobots? *

13:14 - his headlights weren’t coloured properly.

13:17 - with each shot the camera gets closer to them. + Optimus’s really fed up.

13:20 - he got the Lego mouth.

13:33 - I refuse to believe that the nemesis isn’t moving every five minutes.

14:24 - OH. WOW. Low blow.

14:59 - That was quick. Especially considering that that was not the original coordinates.

15:18 - they established early on that Ratchet could do that.

15:23 - ..where is he going?

15:34 - they either removed a scene or there’s a giant error. Bee wasn’t with them.

16:11 - domineering: asserting one's will over another in an arrogant way.

16:34 - I stand corrected, Megatron isn’t on the ship… for some reason.

16:51 - Knockout hasn’t fought Ratchet before.

17:16 - underrated line + delivery.

17:20 - Megatron’s got a big hand.

17:23 - that’s what it feels like to loose an arm wrestle.

17:31 - Knockout immediately suggesting drugs.

17:37 - WTFRaG.

17:49 - …Okay but like I know he doesn’t mean it this way, but I prefer to imagine that Megatron’s witness Ratchet sitting in Optimus’s lap.

17:53 - dude wants to drug a whole army.

17:56 - first move. Call out husband’s name.

17:58 - second move. Admit to wrong-doings.

18:05 - Optimus grabbing onto the handrails (I wasn't able to get a clear shot)

18:08 - He’s so concerned.

18:10 - FRAGGIN FINALLY I CAN GUESS. ‘Yeah? -on it.’

18:14 - Optimus didn’t even finish his sentence before running to the rescue.

18:23 - her legs are moving faster than she is.

18:26 - NOTHING CAN STOP HIM NOOOOW.

18:32 - he won’t stop moving. It’s beautiful.

18:38 - Oh dear.. oh Ratchy no!

18:44 - Knockout’s had like a 0% success rate with that saw.

19:35 - his eyes are blue

19:50 - THAT LINE DELIVERY!

20:07 - he k n e e l s

20:12 - that pool of energon wasn’t there before and he wasn’t actively bleeding.

20:14 - smexy scenery.

20:21 - babes has been by his side the whole time.

20:24 - ‘you bled out’ >:)

20:31 - Aww! But also.. he punched Bulkhead.

12:32 - shut up. You’re crying.

20:35 - he finished his sentence.

20:41 - AAAAAAAAA

20:52 - so energon is a blue crystal that needs to be mined, where it’s then turned into glowing light blue cubes where it becomes a dark blue liquid and is injected into the arm? But if it’s purple it’s dark energon. If it’s green it’s Synth-en. But dark energon stays in crystal form and doesn’t need to be replaced, while normal energon needs to be stocked up and can burn.

21:24 - this is just the plot of Hercules (the Disney movie)

———————

And that was Stronger, Faster

A lot lighter and darker than I remembered it. A very good watch and even if it’s just known for being the drug addiction episode, I’m glad that it’s known.

It’s a very dark topic, but I think it was addressed well. 10/10 would watch in a binge and when being selective about episodes.

*so this touches on my question

[carrotcouple]

The Sky of Tevyat, The Irminsul Tree and Summoning Circles

Before we start, here’s a disclaimer. These are just weird things I’ve noticed while playing Genshin Impact. I could literally have no ground to stand on at all. I do not know all the genshin lore so I might point out something that isn’t what it actually is. A lot of this information can be linked to characters that I main so you can excuse me as someone who is biased right away if you so desire. I’ll try to keep this as unbiased as possible though. Some thoughts in this are actually thoughts of my wife @rest-in-bees. This post is me seeing a bunch of dots and connecting then but if you’re looking for a conclusion, there is none. 

So I’m sure at some point all of us have looked up at the sky of Tevyat and have gone, huh, that’s the shape of a flower!

I tried to take a clear picture. It was kinda hard. But it’s a ten petaled flower with multiple layers. I at first said ‘oh that’s just the sky programming overlapping and also because of my camera angle, whatever’. And I carried on with my life. I like looking at things from weird angles and messing around with my camera, so I kept looking at this flower and carrying on with my life. Until I noticed that the sky only looked this way in Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Forest Sumeru. In Fontaine and Desert Sumeru, the sky doesn’t look like this. 

You could just say that they decided to do better for these areas! Mondstadt, Liyue and Inazuma were early on nations and so they have a basic sky that isn’t really well done. At first this is what I believed. But then out of curiosity I decided to see if there are finer tuned details in the Mondstadt sky that would make it seem like they actually somewhat worked on the sky. 

The sky does have details to it. Also to test things out I decided to see what it would be like if I ran all the way from the chasm to Desert Sumeru while looking up at the sky. When you enter Desert Sumeru the sky gets incredibly unclear because of ‘sand’?. As soon as you exit this area, the sky is completely different. I thought this was interesting. Of course, we can still argue that this is still nothing significant! Which! True! 

Anyway, I mostly thought of this and then let it go. But see, I happen to be a Wanderer main. And so one day while looking up at the sky I decided to mess around and completely flip the camera, which resulted in me staring at Wanderer’s hat. 

And I kind of froze because…I was looking at a flower in the sky made of stars, why am I looking at one on Wanderer’s head where there are even dots on the black parts of the hat that look like stars? So then I asked my wife, hey, what kind of Tevyat flower does that look like? A Niloptala Lotus? And she said, maybe? But I think it looks more like a Kalpalata Lotus because it’s layered petals. 

Quick Kalpalata Lotus 101. Kalpalata Lotuses are local specialities found in the forest part of Sumeru. They are used as ascension material for Nahida and Dori. The fun thing about the Kalpalata Lotuses is that legend says that they are the first thing to have ever been created in the forest. Their roots are said to be connected to every plant across Tevyat including the Undying Divine tree. Amurta scholars have proven this wrong, but people still believe it. You can find this information in the Genshin Archive under Materials. 

So the Amurta scholars disproved this. But then it occurred to me that we do know a plant that has it’s roots connected everywhere across Tevyat. The Irminsul tree. Canonically, their roots are said to cause Leylines and you can find its roots in the form of petrified trees in the Chasm, Dragonspine, Shirokoro Peak, and even Mt. Damavand. The Frost Bearing Tree is considered part of the Irminsul tree as well. But here’s the fun fact. Kalpalata Lotuses are not lotuses. They look like lotuses but they’re actually false. Weird when you connect them to their lore similarities to the Irminsul tree, but then you remember that the Irminsul tree can literally falsify history. 

Another thought. We’re told that the sky of Tevyat is fake. 

Anyways, needless to say, I started to become drawn to anything that looked even remotely similar to Wanderer’s Hat or the flower in the sky or Kalpalata Lotuses. 

This is when I remembered that I’d seen something that looked like Wanderer’s hat before. 

Istaroth’s moon dials. They look almost identical to the ring behind Wanderer’s back which is what his hat becomes. 

But then I realized that Wanderer’s little ring in his windfavored state reminded me of summoning circles. Namely: 

I remembered when Ningguang summoned the Guizhong Ballistas and Venti’s skill. I’m sure there are other characters who have displayed this, I just can’t quite remember them at the moment. So then I thought…interesting? What do other summoning circles look like in game? So I went to go look. 

The ones I found in Fontaine look eerily like the same kind of pattern and like Wanderer’s hat. I thought it was really weird that Wanderer’s hat and ring in his windfavored state looked exactly like a summoning circle (this is when I developed a theory that when he tried to erase himself from Irminsul, someone summoned him back and his hat is his summoning circle, but that’s a different post). 

And then I remembered. 

Venti’s statue in Mondstadt is surrounded by a flower like structure that is nearly identical to the sky flower. And Venti’s statue says ‘The Gateway to Celestia’. And I wondered if maybe it was called that because it’s a giant summoning circle that connects Celestia and Mondstadt. 

And then I wondered if Tevyat’s sky above Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Forest Sumeru is a giant summoning circle. Which is probably a crazy idea. But. Whatever. I have interesting thoughts sometimes. Time to go work on an extensive post about why Wanderer is incredibly sus character lore wise.

[cookierunconfessionblog]

https://www.tumblr.com/cookierunconfessionblog/740050713997099008/kinda-bugs-me-how-when-i-wanna-hc-a-character-as?source=share

This really made me think. I want to add something to this conversation, but it’s about shipping.

Disclaimer: Before I go on with my point, I’m talking about ships that aren’t illegal. The following conversation is talking about ships between consenting adult characters that aren’t related. (Hoping if I add that then nobody will twist my words into something I don’t mean.) I’d also like to add that this topic could be applied to fandom spaces other than Cookie run, but I’ve seen this happen within the Cookie Run fandom as of recent. This ramble is entirely my opinion. You can disagree, I am not stating fact. Now that all that is out of the way,

My main question I want to put out there is: Why should we have to try to prove if a ship is canon or not? What is so wrong with liking a ship, even if it’ll never be canon?

I think there’s a lot of miscommunication or misunderstandings when it comes to discussing ships, because everyone views the term ‘ships’ differently. A lot of people view the act of shipping two characters as wanting that pairing to be canon or claiming that ship is already canon, but I don’t think it should be viewed that way. You can ship two characters without wanting or claiming the pairing to be canon. Especially if the characters in question never actually interacted and you have absolutely no evidence of the two characters sharing feelings for each other.

I keep seeing people try to ‘prove’ a ship is canon or disprove a ship literally everywhere, and I can’t wrap my head around it! Why is it bad if a ship isn’t canon? How does a ship being canon could have more validity than non-canon ones? I just don’t understand.

I don’t think we should be viewing canon as this unchangeable law, that everybody has to abide by, because I feel that pressuring other people to religiously stick to canon limits the creative mind. Of course, if you enjoy sticking to canon, I won’t hate or judge you for that. There is nothing wrong with adhering to canon. I find myself doing that very often, as well. however I do feel we should let people play around with their creative works without forcing them to adhere to what exists in canon. I don’t think anyone should be viewed as less of a fan if they find themselves straying from canon.

Adding onto the headcannon topic: If we all were forced to stick to canon for every single fandom, then what about sexuality and orientation headcannons? Especially since the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t have an abundance of genuinely good representation in a lot of canon works, sticking to canon would be super limiting.

I’d like to see others feelings on this dumpsterfire. Maybe I am missing something and someone with an opposing opinion could enlighten me? I may be stupid.

How to stay hydrated: Take a sip of water every time I say canon in this post. Lol

ㅤ

[untamedeventuality]

I hate what the time loop theory does to Mono’s story, it feels incredible constrictive to his character.

Instead of him being a child with a past, character development and motivations we can interpret, that theory kinda kills it.

Now Mono’s life has always been a loop, he doesn’t have a past and all his actions revolve and are driven around this hypothetical loop. And this makes his character seem so boring when he is a very interesting character we could talk and analyze more like we do with Six

And like you said the way some try to shoehorn Six’s story into this (trying to make her also be in a loop) when her narrative doesn’t fit with her character at all.

Mono’s story doesn’t need to be a time loop. It makes much more sense that Mono is a successor to the thin man and the ending is about him finally taking/accepting that role.

I know our first reaction is to think is a loop but what if it isn’t a loop? What if is a cycle? Even the developers used that word to describe the story:

“We’ve got a kid, we’ve got a terrible world […] You think about the impact of this endless cycle of the world who is imposed upon this kids and then this kids grow old and they are obviously affected by that and they become part of the problem, they all become part of this illusion.

They have officially talked about this and described the situation as a cycle where the kids grow up to become part of the problem, which I interpret as them repeating the same mistakes and imposing the same terrible attitudes/actions they once suffered as kids to the next generation now that they are adults.

Isn’t this what is being implied with Mono’s ending?

Maybe it was never a loop, but rather a cycle. Mono simply grew up and became another adult in that terrible world.

The closest comparison I can think of is to the short “pour 585” by Patrick Smith.

It has very similar theme and story beats where the beginning and ending that are almost exactly the same (just like in Ln2).

I have to wonder why and how the time loop theory gained so much prominence? the more I think of it the less sense it makes and it only make the story more convulted and confusing.

i completely agree with you, its not a loop but a cycle

all three and a half games deal with cycles and trying to break them in different ways and the cost and consequence of it all, which i can get into in a minute

i think the big reason that the time loop became a prevalent theory, so much as to largely be considered "canon" by the wider fanbase, is that its a neat explanation for what happens. it becomes convoluted and confusing, like you said anon, but it becomes neat, which is attractive to people.

six's actions don't make sense? well, its a timeloop and she recognized mono

mono's actions don't make sense? well, its a timeloop and he is remembering things

the thing about theories is that they're hard to disprove, especially in a game like little nightmares where nothing is concrete. but it is very unlikely that a literal timeloop is what the creators intended. it is a cycle, an inheritance. the hat "suits" mono, it hasn't always been his. the broadcaster is a role, a job, a calling. mono's monster form is different from the thin man's. they are not the same person, they simply fill the same role

mono was unable to break out of the cycle, both because of his actions, his inaction. his friendship with six was his salvation and his downfall. he was destined, sure, but destiny is merely a call we can answer or ignore. he answered, because despite the consequences, he wanted to save his friend

and he got just that. he saved six

but what was the cost?

him

he was the cost

[cloudinterlude]

howard really fascinates me! specially since i keep trying to match the fun, bubbly 40s howard with the serious, detached howard from the 80s/90s. like what happened that changed him so much??

also the fact that bucky ends up killing him also captivates me cause bucky is steve's best friend, howard even helped him rescue him in the first movie, howard was obsessed with steve.... like his whole life AND death ended up being connected to steve

Same! I mean, of course the grief/mourning/regret/guilt Howard feels over Steve is a large part of his initial descent, but I suspect building and being in SHIELD took a heavy toll. Mildly long post incoming, probably incoherent, probably off topic, and it might end as the most disjointed character analysis I've ever done, but walk with me here 🤝🏿

Howard is such a fractured character. Like, he knows when he's doing something wrong, and he feels a seemingly significant (although hidden) amount of guilt when it goes wrong and he works to rectify it...but he just doesn't stop, especially if the outcome is worth it. He's a very "the ends justify the means" kind of guy I suspect. And there's nothing worse when the ends end up having a horrible outcome and the means were done in vain.

A normal person would say, "Hm, maybe I shouldn't do xyz anymore, or at least not the the degree I've been doing it, if it all ends in shit." Howard goes, "Actually let me keep all my bad ideas as proof of what I can do and shouldn't do and then go experiment more because I know I can do better." And then it doesn't go better and just gets added to a vault. And then, separate from his internal issues, the world around him is shifting too and to bring some stability, he needs to make some sacrifices. Someone needs to get their hands dirty - if not him, then who? And then all that mixed with the ghost of Steve hovering over him, knowing he'd disprove, but Steve isn't here so oh well.

I don't want to paint Howard as an altruist. He isn't, not in the slightest, in fact. All of his motivations are deeply personal and most likely not done for some abstract greater good. I don't think Howard is some kind of heartless monster - actually he decisively isn't heartless judging by MCU canon. He wants to do good (and he has!), but he doesn't let that desire to be good take him away from his desire to be free to do whatever he wants.

I have more to say about him (specifically about his upbringing - the reveal that he came from a poor family and feels compelled to make up for that was huge to me) but I'm losing words rn LOL and nothing else will make sense. I wish there was a voice note feature...I could probably just yap about it....Anyways, yes, Howard is one of my favorite trash gremlin characters.

And you are ALSO so right about not only his life, but his death being wrapped up in Steve too!! And wasn't he also keeping an attempted replica of the serum in his car for transfer? Or did I make that up lol. Either way, fully agree - you kinda blew my mind a little with bringing that to attention.

[eradicatetehnormal]

Okay So I Watched Some of the 6 Hour "Riku Is Gay" Video

Disclaimer: I only watched the KH1-2 sections, the KH3 section, and Sora's Comphet section. Also, I already agree with the preset that Riku is a queer character. Sorry guys, but he is.

Personally, I think it's a good video. It's not overly malicious or angry and the evidence it presents is actually really good, though I'm in the queer spaces of the KH fandom so I've seen most of it.

I really only have 3 major issues:

The video is way too fucking long. Something like this would have benefited from being a multipart series. Also, if all you wanted was condensed proof that Riku is "gay" that's really only a 30-40 minute video. This leads me to my next point.

The title is very misleading. This isn't just a video about Riku's queerness. Hell, there's an entire portion of the video called "Sora's comphet." Most of the KH2 section is dedicated to how passionate Sora is about finding Riku. This video should not be called "Riku is gay (and why it matters)", it should be called something like "SoRiku is canon actually (It's more than a ship)" or "The queerness of KH and why it's essential."

This video has a habit of minimizing Kairi's importance to Sora. Like, they try to give the disclaimer that they don't think Kairi means nothing to Sora, but it's hard to buy it. In the KH2 section, for example, they bring up that Sora doesn't ask about Kairi until he realizes she's been captured by the organization. That's the thing though, for most of the game Sora knows where Kairi is. He saw her drift away with the islands in one and he finds out when she's been captured in 2. Don't forget he also dropped to his knees for Kairi when Saix comes to tell him what happened. Does that disprove any potential queerness Sora might have? No, especially with the scenes of the reunion. "Kairi, you've changed, but we'll always be friends :)" "RIKU OH MY GOD *cries and gets on the floor* I LOOKED EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!" Really it's more of a personal belief that shines through that the romantic love interest has to single-handedly be the most important person to you that sets me off. Though, I don't solely blame Mr. "Whatever his name is" for that. It's more of a "we live in a society" thing.

Aside from that, most of my criticisms are nitpicks. The structure is hella off with the video. He starts off by stating his beliefs and then giving the evidence. Like, dude, you have to lead with the evidence and then tell people what it means. Anyone who's skipping through the video and doesn't already agree that Riku is queer is going to get frustrated watching it and feel compelled to not take it seriously. Especially since the video is 6 fucking hours.

Arguably the KH3 and Coded sections aren't needed. The KH3 section is just theory and conjecture that he could've saved for the end of the video and the Sora and Riku of Coded are different characters than regular Sora and Riku. Can they give us insight into their relationship and their feelings? Yes, but ultimately, their circumstances are different. Feelings can manifest one way in one context and a whole other way in a different one. Regular Sora and Riku have enough evidence all on their own to carry a video.

The novel should have honestly been its own section. People are not compelled to take that seriously. It's cool that Nomura himself was impressed with the writer's understanding of the characters and had her write the novels so far, but that doesn't mean she never takes any creative liberties. It's also worth pointing out that Nomura IS NOT the only writer for the series. He's not even the main writer for the games.

Bro, you're gonna bring up the scene where Namine comes to Riku about getting him to use the darkness but not bring up the aggressively gay scene before that where Zexion makes himself look like Sora in order to defeat him because Zexion knows that Sora is his potential weakness?

But yeah, the vid has a few glaring issues, but it is great. I'm happy something like this exists where we can get all the major SoRiku talking points in one place. No hate to this man, especially for something like this.